Fragrance

Buying perfume: what matters

With perfume, your nose decides above all – but concentration, bottle size and storage affect how long a fragrance lasts and what you end up paying per millilitre. Knowing the terms helps you buy with more confidence.

Concentrations

Eau de Cologne contains the lowest share of fragrance oils and feels light and fresh. Eau de Toilette (EDT) is somewhat more intense, Eau de Parfum (EDP) stronger still, and Parfum or Extrait has the highest concentration. A higher concentration often means longer wear on the skin, but that also depends on the ingredients and your skin. Note that an EDT and EDP with the same name often smell different, because the formula is adjusted.

Fragrance families and notes

Fragrances are broadly grouped into families such as floral, fresh with citrus or aquatic notes, woody, oriental or amber, fougère and chypre. Every fragrance develops in stages: you notice the top notes straight after spraying, while the heart and base notes only come through after a while. If you know your favourite family, it is easier to find new scents you will like.

Testing, samples and bottle sizes

Try a fragrance on your skin rather than only on a paper strip, and give it a few hours before you decide. Samples and small decants are an affordable way to wear a scent for several days. Large bottles are usually much cheaper per millilitre but only make sense if you are sure you like the fragrance, so compare the price per 100 ml. Bottles sold as “testers” often come without a box or cap.

Storage and price

Light, heat and big swings in temperature harm perfume, so the bathroom is not an ideal spot. Kept cool, dark and in its original box, a fragrance usually stays stable for years. Perfume prices can vary considerably between shops, especially before holidays. Pricuro shows every retailer including delivery costs on each product page, along with the price history of the last 90 days, so you can pick the right moment to buy.